Michigan board to get guidance on ability to close pot shops

Michigan's medical marijuana board will receive guidance on its authority to close dispensaries until the state begins issuing licenses under a new regulatory system. (File photo WEYI/WSMH)

BATH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's medical marijuana board will receive guidance on its authority to close dispensaries until the state begins issuing licenses under a new regulatory system.

Some board members expressed a desire to shut the shops at a meeting last month, sparking concerns from patients and others. The board will reconvene Tuesday near Lansing to hear from the state's Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, which has been consulting with the state attorney general's office.

Starting in mid-December, medical marijuana businesses will be able to apply for licenses to operate. But some board members say existing dispensaries, many of which have been open for years, are illegal under a Michigan Supreme Court ruling and should be closed until licensing begins.